Tamils ring Christmas bell

CHANDRIMA MAITRA

Kids with a man dressed as Santa Claus at Bhubaneswar Tamil Sangam.
Picture by Sanjib Mukherjee

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 18: The Yuletide celebrations might be a week away, but the Christmas spirit has already gripped the Tamil community of the capital. With music, dance, various entertaining programmes and a sumptuous fest, the close-knit community spent their Sunday afternoon with fanfare and faith.

Elaborate arrangements had been made to enliven the joyful spirit of the season. The Bhubaneswar Tamil Sangam was adorned with colourful wall decorations and vibrant artificial chandeliers. A busy Santa Claus welcomed the guests with his graceful smile and amusing antics. The good-old jolly fellow was also seen interacting with the kids.

The community has been celebrating the festival every year with their Christian friends and acquaintances. This year, the event was dedicated to kids from the orphanage Manna Wisdom School. A team of 15 children also performed a number of carol song and dance items eulogising the love and brotherhood spread by Jesus Christ. Songs such as God loves you, Itna pyar kiya hain, I am alpha won loud cheer from the audience.

“Apart from celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, we also want to spread the message of love, peace and brotherhood to every community,” said convenor of the programme T.B.T. Ansari.

Father Victor Joseph, also present on the occasion, enlightened the audience and especially the little ones about the preaching’s of Jesus Christ. Ladies of the community enthralled the audience with one of their popular patriotic song Neeradum Kadalutha, Nilamadandhai Kezhil Ozugum praising India and its lush meadows and scenic landscapes.

Jude Sekhar, an IFS officer, had the kids rolling on the floor with laughter with his apt mimicry of voices of various animals. The festivity ended with the cake-cutting ceremony without which the Christmas celebration remains incomplete. The kids who have been waiting for long for this special moment jumped on to the mini-stage to join the chief guest of the day, S. Sundaranjan, patron of Bhubaneswar Tamil Sangam, to cut the colourful Christmas cake.

“Every year, we assemble at the community hall to celebrate Christmas. Kids especially enjoy this festive occasion because of Santa Claus, gifts and cakes. We also make a point to arrange for a grand fest to give a complete feel to the festival,” said a member of the community, Mahalakshmi Surendran.